Ivoirian Richard Yao had not heard of Habitat for Humanity before visiting Georgia in September 2003 through the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program. He would return to Atlanta for a conference in January 2007 as Habitat's National Director for Cote d'Ivoire. GCIV staff had the chance to catch up with Mr. Yao while he was in Atlanta last month to learn about his experiences after returning home.

Richard Yao was one of thirteen visitors participating in a multi-regional project entitled “Religion and the Community” in September 2003. His group was a diverse one: participants came from Cyprus, Namibia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The program sought to give the visitors a better idea of the diversity of religious institutions in the U.S. The group met with representatives from interfaith efforts, religious broadcast media, academic religious studies departments, and religious schools in Atlanta. After an intense program in Atlanta, the group traveled to south Georgia to visit Plains and Americus. They met with staff at Habitat for Humanity International, where they had the chance to see the Global Village. They also met with representatives from Koinonia Partners, a Christian farm community active in the civil rights movement and the birthplace of Habitat.

As National Director for Habitat, Richard is responsible for developing the capacity of the national organization in Cote d'Ivoire. He is in charge of developing the board and fund-raising as well as envisioning the long-term goals and making them a reality. He is constantly visiting regional offices throughout the country. He has a staff of about twenty and hundreds of volunteers. Habitat for Humanity built one-hundred houses last year in Cote d'Ivoire, and his goal for 2007 is to build one-hundred and eight homes. The houses in Cote d'Ivoire are made of hand-made mud bricks, have two bedrooms, and are roughly 300 square meters.

Richard is always traveling to visit Habitat organizations around the world to learn new ideas. He has spent significant time in India, Thailand, and other parts of Africa. We were glad to learn that his time here in Georgia has helped in his work back home, and look forward to hearing of his and Habitat’s progress in Cote d’Ivoire.